"Snap!" The chopsticks in Kisaki Eri's hand were broken directly in half by her. "Kogoro, is your skin itching again? Do you want a beating?"
Mouri Kogoro let out two dry laughs, his voice full of guilt. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look at Kisaki Eri, focusing only on shoving rice into his mouth.
Hearing Hayashi Shuichi agree, Orisaka Midori stood up and bowed respectfully to him: "Master, then I will come every evening from now on."
"You can come over at 5:30," Hayashi Shuichi said with a smile. "We eat dinner promptly at six. Although you're here to learn cooking, you'll be considered an employee of the shop."
"Understood," Orisaka Midori quickly nodded.
Seeing that the girl's matter was settled, Detective Satō and Detective Megure ate while explaining the purpose of their visit today.
"According to the forensic division's examination, the body discovered in the concrete pillar last night is that of a young female, aged fifteen or sixteen. We also found a school bag on her corpse. Judging from the belongings, the deceased is highly likely to be Nagashima Ruko, the missing student from Sakuragaoka Middle School. The cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation of the neck."
Saying this, Detective Megure handed over the autopsy report.
Hayashi Shuichi took it and carefully flipped through it page by page. The Yellow-Haired Girl, unable to contain herself, impatiently asked: "What about the killer? Do you police have any clues?"
"We don't have any clues yet," Detective Satō shook his head helplessly, a hint of fatigue showing on his face. "Nagashima Ruko was an introverted person, and very few people were familiar with her. Furthermore, the body was highly decomposed inside the concrete pillar, the face is completely unrecognizable, and even the specific time of death is difficult to determine."
"Could it be Teacher Kitamura?" The Yellow-Haired Girl quickly brought up the rumor from the school.
"We will conduct an in-depth investigation to verify this later," Detective Megure nodded, his expression serious.
"Besides the ligature marks on the neck, the abdomen of the corpse also suffered severe trauma?" Hayashi Shuichi pointed to a page in the report, his brow furrowed slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"Yes, forensics found that the lower abdomen of the deceased was damaged by a sharp object," Detective Megure explained. "And due to the decomposition, the internal organs have deteriorated into a mass..."
"...Could you please not talk about this while we're eating?" Mouri Kogoro showed a disgusted expression. "I'm starting to lose my appetite."
"Brother Kogoro, you can't handle this?" Reiko smirked, reached for the report in Hayashi Shuichi's hand, and showed Mouri Kogoro a few of the photos inside.
"Ugh..." Mouri Kogoro could no longer hold it in. Clapping a hand over his mouth, he stumbled towards the restroom to dry heave.
"Tch, a grown man, and he's not as brave as me..." The Yellow-Haired Girl dismissed him with a pout, her expression full of disdain. "It's just a photo of a corpse, I..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Reiko had placed the report in front of her.
The Yellow-Haired Girl's face instantly turned as white as paper: "I-I wouldn't..."
She tried to put on a brave façade, but her legs involuntarily went soft. In the end, she decisively got up and ran away in a panic to join Mouri Kogoro.
"Haha..." Reiko laughed triumphantly, then looked at Orisaka Midori. "Big Sister Midori, would you like to..."
"No! I think I'll pass." Orisaka Midori firmly shook her head.
"Stop messing around!" Hayashi Shuichi glared at his sister, took the report, and handed it back to Detective Megure.
"Hayashi-kun, do you have any suggestions for the ongoing investigation?" Detective Satō looked at Hayashi Shuichi, his tone carrying a degree of expectation.
"First, determine the deceased's time of death," Hayashi Shuichi said after a moment of contemplation. "I have a feeling something isn't right."
Detective Megure raised an eyebrow: "What doesn't feel right?"
"If the deceased was strangled, why would the killer also damage her abdomen? Was it out of hatred, or did they want to use it to cover up something?" Hayashi Shuichi mused. "As far as I know, Nagashima Ruko had an abortion at an illegal clinic before the incident. This could have been a feature used to identify her. But now, the corpse's abdomen has been destroyed, and with the body's decomposition, the only way to identify her is through the items in the school bag."
At this time, DNA identification technology was not yet available. Once a body decomposed and its physical features were destroyed, identifying the person became incredibly difficult.
"Hayashi-kun, are you suggesting that someone intentionally used another deceased person to impersonate Nagashima Ruko?" Detective Satō said, his expression grave. "Is it possible she's not dead yet?"
"It's just a possibility," Hayashi Shuichi said calmly. "The wound on the corpse's abdomen could also be a result of the deceased struggling with the killer. It never hurts to consider multiple scenarios."
"That's true," Detective Satō nodded in agreement. "I will assign more personnel to investigate if there are any other missing girls of a similar age recently."
"Oh, right," Orisaka Midori remembered something. "Before, Senior asked me to remind Nagashima Ruko that if she felt unwell after the abortion, she absolutely must go to a big hospital for a check-up and not try to endure it."
"I remember I found her in the shopping arcade that time. She was with a group of others, preparing to go sing karaoke."
"Karaoke?" Detective Megure looked confused. "According to our investigation, Nagashima Ruko barely had any friends?"
"I don't know about that," Orisaka Midori shook her head. "There were five people with her at the time—three boys and two girls. The two girls were wearing school uniforms and should be students from our school. The three boys looked quite mature, like they were working adults."
"What you've told us is very helpful for the investigation," Detective Satō said with certainty. "It seems Nagashima Ruko was hiding quite a few secrets."
After dinner, the case discussion was mostly concluded, and Detective Satō and Detective Megure said their goodbyes.
Orisaka Midori asked the Yellow-Haired Girl to return to the flower shop to help her mother and inform her that she would be staying at the izakaya to learn cooking.
After the Yellow-Haired Girl left, Hayashi Shuichi found Fujimine Yukiko's work uniform and handed it to Orisaka Midori: "Try it on and see if it fits?"
Although Orisaka Midori was one year younger than Hayashi Shuichi and the others, her figure was very well developed, only slightly less curvy than Yukiko's.
Seeing that Yukiko's work uniform fit her just right, Kisaki Eri dejectedly glanced down at her own chest: "She's a year younger than me, but how could she..."
"Oh, where's Pudding?" Orisaka Midori, who had changed into the work uniform, remembered the puppy she adopted. "It's gone?"
"I just saw Wangcai follow it outside," Mouri Kogoro said weakly, his face pale.
"Wangcai won't bully Pudding, will it?" Reiko looked worried and quickly ran towards the door. Orisaka Midori anxiously chased after her.
The two girls walked out of the izakaya and saw Pudding lying quietly at the shop entrance. And Wangcai was actually constantly panting ingratiatingly beside it, its tail wagging like a rattle drum.
"What's going on?" Reiko looked astonished. "Wangcai is much bigger than Pudding, so why is it trying to please it..."
"They were fighting just a while ago," Orisaka Midori was also confused. "Why did they suddenly stop arguing?"
"Wangcai, I never thought you were a simp, too?" Hayashi Shuichi, who walked out behind them, was so angry at Wangcai's shameful behavior that he immediately kicked it.
"Wuwu..." Wangcai whimpered, tucked its tail, ran to the other side, and continued to pant submissively at Pudding.
Pudding, however, was half-closing its eyes, ignoring Wangcai's attempts to please it, looking very arrogant.
"You stupid dog, you're a lost cause!" Hayashi Shuichi huffed angrily.
"Onii-chan," Reiko's eyes lit up, and she seemed to understand. "Pudding is a female dog! Is Wangcai in love?"
"No way?" Orisaka Midori gasped in surprise. "Didn't they just want to fight each other?"
"Who knows what that stupid dog is thinking," Hayashi Shuichi shook his head helplessly and turned back into the izakaya.
"Go, Wangcai, go!" Reiko squatted down, stroking the dog's head to encourage the stupid dog. "Pudding is so cute, you absolutely must win her over."
"Woof..." Wangcai barked excitedly, as if responding to the girl's encouragement.
Orisaka Midori watched them, amused. Seeing that the two dogs were genuinely no longer fighting, she returned to the shop with peace of mind.
Reiko watched Orisaka Midori's back, her eyes darting around. She quickly ran upstairs, found the landline phone, and dialed the number Yukiko had left.
The day before, Reiko had had a fight with Yukiko because Yukiko stayed in Hayashi Shuichi's bedroom.
But both girls understood who their "arch-enemy" was. Before leaving, Yukiko had specifically left Reiko the number for her film crew, asking her to report on the situation at the izakaya and Kisaki Eri's status at any time.
The phone was quickly answered by a crew member. After learning that Reiko wanted to speak to Yukiko, they went to fetch her.
A moment later, Yukiko picked up the phone: "Reiko, what's wrong? Is Glasses-girl causing trouble again?"
"It has nothing to do with Big Sister Eri," Reiko deliberately said in a frantic voice. "Onii-chan has taken on an apprentice to learn cooking from him."
"What's the big deal?" Yukiko said dismissively. "Having an extra helper will be good for business."
"But that apprentice is a girl, and a great beauty, too!" Reiko cried out in an exaggerated voice. "Onii-chan really likes her, and, and..."
"And whaaaat?" Yukiko's voice was beginning to show a hint of displeasure.
"Onii-chan even gave her your work uniform to wear," Reiko rejoiced internally, continuing to add fuel to the fire. "Her figure is actually better than yours, Big Sister Yukiko. Your uniform is a little tight around her chest, and Onii-chan totally stared at her..."
"Is he looking for an apprentice or a little lover for himself!" Yukiko slammed the table, furious. "You keep watching. I can't leave right now, but I'll be back this weekend! I want to see just what beauty he's met this time!"
Huh? I have to wait until the weekend?
Reiko put down the phone, feeling a little disappointed. Yukiko can't be relied on, so I'll just have to rely on Kisaki Eri!
Thinking this, she quickly ran downstairs and into the izakaya. Reaching the cash register, Reiko put on a sweet smile: "Big Sister Eri!"
Kisaki Eri glanced at her coldly: "Don't even think about it. I won't chase Orisaka Midori away."
"Huh? What did you say, Big Sister Eri?" Reiko played dumb, her face full of innocence. "I haven't even said anything yet."
Kisaki Eri snorted disdainfully, and the corner of her mouth curved into a mocking smile: "Stop trying to be clever and acting innocent. That façade might fool your dear brother, but I've watched you grow up since you were a child. Do you think I don't know your little schemes?"
Damn it, this woman and I really don't get along...
Reiko secretly clenched her fists, but managed to force out a smile: "Big Sister Eri, don't you usually hate it when girls get close to Onii-chan? Why are you so generous today?"
"Given Shuichi's good-natured personality, even if I spoke out against it, he would most likely agree in the end," Kisaki Eri looked helpless. "Why should I needlessly play the villain?"
Speaking of which, the girl gave a cold laugh.
"Besides, compared to Orisaka Midori, the one I hate more is that curly-haired fox (Yukiko). Orisaka Midori is occupying her position. I shouldn't be the one who's anxious right now."
"I see," Reiko gave a dry laugh, turning away in disappointment. Big Sister Eri really isn't as easy to manipulate as Big Sister Yukiko!
Orisaka Midori was quite talented in cooking. After all, she had cooked at home for several years through self-study, and since she practiced Kendo, her hands were exceptionally steady.
Hayashi Shuichi started by teaching her how to chop vegetables: "When chopping, curl your fingertips inward, forming a 'cat's claw,' and then use your knuckles to brace the blade. This prevents you from cutting your fingers. The hand holding the knife must be steady so you can chop properly..."
He demonstrated the motion as he spoke.
Orisaka Midori followed Hayashi Shuichi's instructions, carefully curling her left-hand fingers inward, then picked up the kitchen knife, preparing to slice the green radish.
Hayashi Shuichi noticed her tension and, afraid she might cut herself, stepped behind the girl and reached out to help correct her posture.
Orisaka Midori was tall, slightly taller than Yukiko, and almost as tall as Hayashi Shuichi.
Standing behind her, Hayashi Shuichi's gaze was drawn to the bouncing high ponytail. If he leaned down slightly, he could see the girl's fair neck.
His eyes unconsciously drifted, and his heart rate sped up slightly.
Orisaka Midori hadn't expected to have such intimate contact with Hayashi Shuichi just starting to learn how to chop vegetables.
The only place they were touching was their hands, but the sound of his breathing right behind her made her keenly aware that Hayashi Shuichi was standing inches away.
Thinking of this, two blushes appeared on Orisaka Midori's face.
"Chop the vegetables like this..." Hayashi Shuichi guided the girl's hand to slice the radish. To better control the knife, he unconsciously took another half step forward, and the two of them were practically pressed against each other.
Orisaka Midori, who had never had such intimate contact with a male, was instantly flustered. Her attention was completely focused on Hayashi Shuichi, and she no longer had the presence of mind to listen to his explanation...
(End of Chapter)
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